Team MNCE (Monochrome) Volume 2
by aab0289
Summary: Team MNCE's 2nd semester begins, with the team stronger (plus closer) than ever and continuing to face their pasts and face monsters alongside crimefighting. Though between schoolwork, and their foes plans, Team MNCE face a gruelling challenge ahead of them. RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth and created by Monty Oum. My submission for the #MontyOumProject for 2017.
1. Chapter 1: In Deep Trouble

'I'm writing. The pages are starting to stack up. My morale is improving the more I feel like a writer.' - Neil Gaiman.

'All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.' - Walt Disney.

'I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavour to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death.' - Monty Oum, 1981 - 2015.

Vale City. Finical District.

Marron Blanc rushed through the corridors, shutting the doors with whatever came to hand, whilst ensuring her Grimm mask stayed on. She held the case tight in her hand, as she heard the men in suits break the doors and makeshift barricades down. She tapped her scroll, it was the next part of the plan that was mostly working as she had designated the events.

Then the men kicked the door down, their grins widened as Marron was up against the window. She saw the city below, all the lights twinkling like stars as the moonlight filled the room.

"Faunus, you get one chance to drop the case!" The central man ordered as the others raised their guns, the alignment dots converging on Marron's head as she placed the hat back on her head.

The rabbit ears vanished as the rim of her top hat balanced on the top of her head. She mentally counted down in her head, disregarding their warnings as she back stepped to the window. She then knew it was now for her next step, as the bullets flew at her.

Only they shattered the glass behind her as she opened up black holes at the tips of their rifles and pistols barrels. The fresh night breeze swooped in, the refreshing air was far better than the stuffy office she thought, as Marron took another step back to align herself.

"Like a rat caught in a trap, that's what you are!" The man laughed as he extended a hand to her. "Give it now, and we won't push you out!"

Marron smirked as she dropped the case out of the window, seeing the men scramble despite knowing it would be too late to catch it. She then threw a Dust shard, the ice making them slip and lose their balance as they continued to scramble forward. Then the man fired a single round, his face showing blood fuelled rage for her actions.

Only Marron gave a smirk under her mask before saying, "I have a ride to catch." She then fell back, free-falling as the sky was above her and the building was racing past her. The man stepped over the other men still straining to regain their footing, before peeking over the edge.

He saw it in a flash, though he could't believe the sight before him, like the tales he was told as a child. A witch in a pointed hat and riding a broom, as it flew downward past him and he saw the case in what looked like a tail around the handle. Then he saw the Grimm mask and chose to open fire on the witch.

Only Noir Raven swooped past his bullets, speeding up to catch her partner. Marron grabbed Noir's outstretched hand, using the momentum to lift herself up on to the broom. They both laughed as they left the men behind, who kept taking odd shots that were nowhere near the huntresses.

The two flew only to a couple of buildings away, where Noir dropped Marron off with the case. Patty Platinum & Donald Carmine of Team COPR were eager to finally see them, despite the bickering they had done, which they were too well known for. The two headed down the side of the building, heading to the next watch-out point as Noir soared around the building, keeping watch for the men.

Marron headed downstairs, meeting up with the rest of her friends. Ecru Modena was keeping an eye on the entrance of the building with her new sniper rifle. She had more practice thanks to Cyan's help, but she was still hesitant with it, zooming in on the slightest movement. She had already jumped at seeing the same stray kitten three times now as Marron entered the room.

As Roland Rust and Olive Origami were relieved to see Team MNCE's leader, Cyan Chrome saw Ecru signal them. Just as Marron had predicted, they saw several cars rush down the street and the Dust clouds that Patty, Donald and Noir had for signalling trouble. There were more men than they had planned for, so they agreed to splitting up. It was the only way out for them since they couldn't take on that many enemies head on.

"Cyan, you ready?" Roland asked as Cyan nodded and took her stance.

Ecru got extra ammo out ready at the side of her, while keeping the rifle aimed at the first vehicle

"Head down…" Roland instructed to Cyan, who followed his instructions. "Arms in…" He added as Marron lined up against the window. "Knees apart." Roland finished as Olive aligned her papers at their feet, to which Cyan was oblivious to.

"Knees apart?" Cyan repeated, confused with the words as the others grinned. "Why knees apa…" Cyan froze as the paper shifted under her, forming a spring board.

Then the sudden realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. The cold chill went down her spine as a certain memory resurfaced. The one she experienced back on the top of Beacon Cliffs, and the horrid sensation replayed as she turned to them.

"Don't you…" She started to order to them but she was too late, being propelled into the air.

"DARE!" Cyan screamed, seeing the world spin again, as the other three followed suit and Ecru took several shots to distract the men below.

Despite Cyan's scream of surprise, the men were too busy with the ice Dust that blocked their path. They arced in the air, landing on the next rooftop, all except Cyan who landed on Noir's broom. Noir was about to crack a joke but suddenly stopped herself at seeing Cyan's face.

Noir hurried to land as Cyan shakily swayed on the broom, and even wobbled with her first steps off the broom. The others were getting to their feet, expecting Cyan to scream at them for not explaining that part of the plan to her. Instead they saw Cyan open her lips to shout at them, only she hurried to the edge of the rooftop to vomit.

"Is she going to be ok?" Olive asked but only Roland was able to hear her quiet voice.

"I think so, but I think she's not going to be happy with any of us." He stated, backing up as Cyan took in deep breaths and turned to them, giving an evil glare.

Marron and Noir rushed over to her to see if she was all right, only to be grabbed by the ears by each of her hands. Roland would have found it funny, given the height difference between the girls of Team MNCE which meant Cyan was tiptoeing to reach, only hearing Noir and Marron winch deduced to Roland that Cyan was truly angered.

He watched as she kept a vice like grip despite the two apologising to Cyan. Cyan made it very clear they weren't to do it again, as she stopped to speak, only she rushed to the roof edge to throw up again. Marron ouched at the pain when she saw the men swarm around the building. So she made a black hole for Ecru to escape out of the room.

Ecru leapt through the hole, though as she gracefully landed on the roof, she took a double glance to Cyan and sighed. She knew it would've been better to have filled in Cyan on the plan, but she also knew that Cyan wouldn't have liked the back up plan or using Noir's broom.

She was glad to see Cyan was back on her feet after she took a few deep gasps of air. Ecru knew how much it got under her skin, remembering the initiation test and how Cyan reacted afterwards. It was then Marron frantically looked around her, the others at a lost for what she was doing, then it was what wasn't there that got them nervous. The case was missing.

Marron and the others searched the rooftop, wondering where it could've gone. Only Cyan saw where it was, it had fallen down and was currently sat precariously on the top of a dumpster bin. Worst still, the men were all around it, completely unaware of it but if they tried to grab it, then they'd be found.

Cyan got Marron's attention, who was already making a tiny portal for it. Cyan saw Marron's hand grab the handle and slowly pull it through. Only the lid of the dumpster fell shut, the case slipped out of her hand and the men jumped over each other to grab it, after hearing the slam of the lid.

Olive sent a flurry of paper to distract them, as did Noir with Dust vials crashing down on the men. Ecru fired several rounds, but the men had the case in the car and were already starting it up to escape. Marron used her black hole to get to the ground and the others jumped through it after her, though the car was already speeding away.

Cyan was already rushing over to her bike, the 'Shocker' as she called it, charging it up with her semblance. Ecru only just managed to climb on as Cyan revved the engine and took off after the getaway car. Ecru held on for dear life, as Cyan gained speed and left clouds of dust with the tyres roaring and screeching with her fast turns.

"Come on, we can catch up with them!" Donald shouted after slamming the enemies rifle straight into their face, with Patty freezing some with ice Dust arrows with her bow.

"No!" Marron issued, furious with herself that she had dropped the case after all their effort already. "You four stop these boneheads before they get away! We'll go after the case!" She called out over the Dust explosions around them, nodding to Noir who already swooped her up and were gone in a flash after their team.

Donald angrily sighed as he unclipped the enemy rifle's ammo and tossed it at the three men who were bunkered behind a car. Patty fired at the magazine of ammo, causing it to blind the men and jump up from their cover. No sooner they stood up, they felt paper ensnare their feet, resulting in them colliding with the car's bumper before greeting the concrete road surface.

Roland was silently cursing as his Dust shots from his club were spiralling too far right. He tried configuring it to a shotgun but it sparked slightly so he stopped it. The last thing he wanted was it to backfire in their cover, so he threw the last few vials he had from Noir, causing the desired effect he wished his weapon would do.

Olive dragged the captured men with the semblance she had left, trapping them in a cardboard like web and they effortlessly wiggled for freedom. She gave him a reassuring pat, she knew how frustrated he had been trying to repair his family's weapon. He had confided in her that he hadn't told the teachers nor his family about its serve damage.

Olive wondered why he'd hide it with so much effort, especially with the tournament coming up. Though from what Roland had talked about his family, she gathered that they'd be disappointed with him at the very least, though she knew there was something he wasn't saying. So she helped him up as he returned his weapon, pushing the weapons out of their enemies reach to use.

Patty was about to have another heated disagreement with Donald about which turning their friends took, when Roland pointed to the residents and businessmen coming to investigate the disturbance. Patty was glad that Ecru's semblance kept them all hidden with a change of colour palette, but she would rather not take the risk. So the four ducked to the shadows, dodging the residents who were already causing a commotion, and headed back to Silas' place in the hopes of meeting up with their friends.

Team COPR took glances behind them, seeing the men in suits, The Crimson Hand, get surrounded as they continued to fight fruitlessly from their trap. They only prayed that the others were safe and sound, as they slowly saw their disguise start to change. Soon their colours were back to normal, as they saw the familiar building that was Silas' clinic and their crime fighting base.

All the while Team COPR fought off the Crimson Hand who remained, those that got in the two cars were fleeing with the case. They knew their boss was back in the kingdom and he was already on the war path as it was. Now they wondered if theses thieves were the same students that Soot wanted.

Then they saw the bike tailing them, so the first person got out to see, only they soon slumped in the car, Dust powder from a direct impact still surrounded him as the second man started taking shots. Though Ecru was able to blast it out of his hand, as the second man scrambled to get another weapon. Cyan swerved to avoid the ramming of the second car, as Ecru misfired and froze the side of the building.

Ecru tried reloading but every jerk of the bike's sudden turn prevented her to aim carefully. She clutched at the ammo magazines, hoping not to drop it nor cause any further collateral damage. She then saw the first car shuck something out and warned Cyan as she steered the bike, darting between the objects that fell as she cursed at what the objects were.

"Grenades!" Cyan screeched as she slowed down to avoid the detonating devices, causing the road to be upturned and chunks of it to fall from each blast.

"They really don't want us to get that case!" Ecru called out over the bangs of grenades popping around the bike.

Cyan bit her lip, frustrated that she let her pride lose the case, so she put her foot down to speed up. She then used her bike's special weapon, firing a bolt of static ahead of them. Ecru then understood Cyan's plan, she was purposely aiming at the junctions ahead of them, stopping other vehicles from being caught up in the chase.

The first car swerved to avoid Cyan's blockade, with the second following it in hot pursuit to guard it. Noir got a bird's eye view of the devastation the Crimson Hand were causing, and yet she saw where Cyan was directing the cars, to the highway road. 'Risky' she thought but it was safer than the downtown roads or letting them get away.

Marron then jumped down from the broom as Noir got closer to it. She landed on the second car as Noir flew by Cyan's side along the road. Noir stood on the broom, triggering the missiles with a tap of a foot. Marron dodged the missiles, while getting her staff to fight off the troop that had climbed out to fight her.

'Showoffs' Cyan thought loudly in her head, speeding onto the highway to catch up to the cars. Ecru fired several more rounds, hoping to take out the tyres but she kept missing, only infuriating her as she searched for what types of Dust she had left. She then saw Noir throw a magazine round to her, which had the symbol of earth Dust on it as she caught it.

She immediately switched it to load her rifle and fired a shot, though instead of aiming for the tyre directly, Ecru aimed where the tyre was going to be. She missed the tyre, but it was close enough to distract the driver. Cyan was now riding near it, enough for Cyan or even Ecru to jump on to it.

Though neither did with the return of the grenades that bounced out of the window. They fell back as Noir flew closer and threw all the ice Dust she had to freeze the grenades, now only popping like tiny shards of glass. Marron watched with odd glances as she battered the rifle out of the troops hands.

She then saw the troop loose his footing and he went head first off the car. Marron used her semblance to make a small portal as he fell safely out of harms way. She wanted him handcuffed and behind bars, but her parents teachings, especially her father's, screamed at her to save the man. She wrestled with those reasons some days, but she knew it was the morally right thing in her heart.

So Marron returned her staff to a wand before getting both wands out, which began to change into her dual pistols. She sidestepped several shots, using her semblance to deflect closer range bullets, while taking aim at both the car beneath her feet & the other car with the case. Marron smirked as her aim hit the intended targets, only then the car beneath her started swerving and threw her off.

Noir darted to grab her friend, but Marron was already back on her feet with the portal she made. Noir raced past her as did Cyan's bike, as Marron saw the second car had frozen to a halt in ice Dust as the men soon saw they were locked inside from the ice. Marron didn't look back, knowing their foes weren't going to thaw out anytime soon, as she ran after her friends.

Marron's portals helped her catch up to her friends, though she was thankful that most of the other vehicles were no longer moving. She dreaded what her mother would say if she knew that her only daughter was chasing a dangerous group on the busy highway of the city. She landed on the first car, aiming both pistols down as Cyan caught up behind the car and Noir steadied her broom just to the side of the car.

"Give it up! Hand over the case!" Marron ordered the Crimson Hand men, as the driver started flooring his car on the highway even faster.

The men didn't answer, instead their response was a swerve of the car. Marron readjusted her feet to the sudden change, while avoiding the Dust crystal that was thrown at her. Noir caught it in the air, and pocketed it before inching closer to the car.

"Do as she asks, you're surrounded!" Noir advised the men as they attempted to fire, but each shot was missed as she got closer to help her partner.

"Like hell we'll give it up to you mongrel brats!" One of the men screamed as he started to open fire on the roof of the car and then aimed it at Noir. "You animals hardly have the upper hand!" He continued to rant as he started misfiring out of the back window, as Cyan leaned side to side to avoid a direct hit.

Ecru shook with Cyan's bikes momentum, carefully taking her time to regain her balance while aiming her sniper rifle at the vehicle's tyres. She wanted to join in Cyan's swearing, since they had insulted her team, but she needed to drown out all distractions as she looked through the scope. Only as she looked where the tyre was going to go, she paused at what came into view.

"Uh, Cy…" Ecru nervously started to inform her partner, but Cyan insisted on keeping their cover.

"Codenames remember!" She called over the roar of the engines and gunfire.

"We've got a problem!" Ecru shouted, loud enough for Marron and Noir to turn their heads to her words.

"Like what?!" Cyan demanded, still evading the bullets and trying to maintain her speed.

"We're running out of road!"

Ecru's words were the last thing any of them had expected, even the Crimson Hand men joined the huntresses in turning their heads forward. What they saw terrified them in an instant, for they had in fact traveled on the closed off section of the highway, and had gone past all the warnings for the roadworks ahead of them. They saw the highway was missing a piece of road, too big for any of them to attempt the jump, as it came upon them within seconds.

Cyan slammed on the brakes, grabbing Ecru who was launched into the air but was soon pulled out of her seat. The car had spun ahead of Cyan's bike, spinning it and then crashing upside down, as Noir slowed down to swoop up Marron who jumped backwards. Marron then created a hole as Cyan cursed at seeing the world spin as she landed with Ecru on the tarmac.

Cyan felt ill despite the softer than expected landing, but it was the sight of her bike being shredded to shards that made her gasp. It was deafening to her, seeing the metal bend and twist as it came to a grinding halt, the frame barely recognisable as the lights died and sparked no more. Ecru was amazed that she had no scratch on her but saw the gloves exposing Cyan's hands, only she too froze at the wreckage before them.

"Cy, you ok?" Ecru wrongly asked from the horror on Cyan's face. "It's only a bike this time." She tried getting her to laugh, given the number of prosthetic limbs Cyan had gone through in their first semester.

"Silas is going to kill me for this one." Cyan softly squeaked, knowing what happened the last time she had crashed it.

Ecru knew it was serious when Cyan referred to Doc as Silas. Her guardian and friend looked after her like a daughter but Ecru guessed he'd scold them all for this mess. So she helped her friend up, trying her best to distract her from the mess and help her with her gloves.

Marron and Noir landed next to them, with Cyan asking why Noir had slowed down when she was flying. Noir didn't realise she could've kept flying, she guessed the adrenaline got the better of her, while Cyan thanked Marron for the portal. She never liked the use of it but she was grateful that she and Ecru got off lightly, unlike the mangled remains of her bike.

The four were relived that one another were fine, but none had noticed the buzzing sound till it was right above them as they ducked for cover. Then they saw who was inside the Bullhead vehicle and they felt a mix of relieve and fear. Team CFVY descended down from the drop-ship while Professor Goodwitch remained inside, but her face was frowning which sent alarm bells to Team MNCE.

Coco Adel led the team to investigate, with her case turning into a giant heavy machine gun, and Yatsuhashi Daichi was effortlessly shifting Cyan's bike for them to head to the car. Velvet Scarlatina politely asked if the men were fine inside the car, Fox Alistair darted past his team to pull her back as the men opened fire on her. Fox Alistair shielded Velvet from several of the bullets with his blades on his arms, as she grabbed her case to use her weapon.

"Fallback Velvet, you should save that." Coco pointed to the case Velvet carried on her back. "Don't waste it on these… fashion rejects." Coco instructed to her rabbit Faunus teammate who compiled, while not diverting her eyes of the men in suits who were climbing out of the overturned car.

She aimed the heavy gun at them, ordering them to choose wisely. She tutted as she opened fire back on their bullets, the men now scrambling for cover with Yatsuhashi throwing debris to create cover for Velvet and Fox. Fox nodded as he darted forward, knocking the gun out of one of the men and punched him to the ground.

Velvet jumped over the cover, kicking the gun out of another Crimson Hand goon as Yatsuhashi grabbed him before he could lash out of Velvet. The last of the Crimson Hand kept firing from the crumbling door he used as cover, the bullets of Coco's weapon continued coming with no end in sight as he counted the remaining bullets. He never got to fire another round as he was propelled into the air.

Professor Goodwitch had launched him with her semblance, he crashed as the rubble slowly formed around him. He found himself entombed in stone, unable to wiggle free as she stepped off the Bulkhead drop-ship, turning to Team CFVY who brought over the others who reluctantly were carted together to accept being apprehended. Professor Goodwitch then caught something in the corner of her eye, seeing a slight shadow move oddly.

Ecru returned to her team, holding the case in her hands, only then noticing her colours as well as her team's colours were back to their own again too. Her aura was nearly completely spent and it meant that Team COPR were no longer in disguises either. She inspected the case, wondering what the hexagon and strange M symbol meant.

She handed it to Marron, who opened it with the luminous green glow coming from within the case. Marron wasn't sure why the glowing liquid was important, but she knew instantly from her gut feeling it was deadly in the Crimson Hand's clutches. So she sealed the case up, and was about to call the police when their Professor spooked them with her presence.

She angrily tapped her wand, waiting for an explanation as she commanded Team CFVY back to the drop-ship. The police finally came dragging the Crimson Hand away as Glynda Goodwitch marched the students to the drop-ship. They willingly obeyed, not talking back or trying to explain the situation.

One look on their professor's face was enough for them to know the inevitable, as the ground left them and she took the case from their hands. Team COPR remained silent, wondering why the professor had asked for their assistance instead of the teachers. They guessed their teacher just needed whoever was free, as the police cordoned off the area.

'We're in serious trouble.' The thought was unanimous amongst Team MNCE, with the Beacon Tower approaching them and the school grounds soon coming under the drop-ship. Upon landing on the ground and a few shaky steps from Cyan, the girls and the professor began the slow walk to Ozpin's office. While Team CFVY headed back to their dorm room, wondering what trouble the first years had got themselves involved with.

…

Elsewhere, the young girl with dark skin and green hair had found what she was after. She plucked the piece of paper from the board, determined to follow out this job for the person who saved her life, as she pocketed it. The gray haired boy irritated her but she thought it best for him to tag along. Despite his irritable nature, she knew he had her back, especially after the fool of a criminal called Roman Torchwick had failed to carry out a portion of the plan.

They turned to the news that flashed up on the terminal display. It showed something off a car chase, with the reporter commenting on Beacon students being involved and claiming to question what teachers were doing to control the adolescents wild behaviour. She smirked, thinking it was less dull than she was led to believe Vale would be.

Emerald Sutstrai called over Mercury Black to find this place in downtown Vale. They needed to ensure this rat wouldn't inspire others to question Cinder's plans, or think of ditching the so called 'Brothers of the White Fang.' 'And just maybe teach Roman a lesson of how it's done.' She thought as she headed out of the White Fang's hideout.

It would take time for her to get used to the city, but she knew he'd find somewhere in the city, especially with a name of a store like that. 'There couldn't possibly be that many bookstores named after her target.' She thought, as the two strolled past the city buildings, on their hunt for Tukson.

[A special thank you to everyone who helped me with Volume 1 and for reading it. Without you, Wouldn't be here to post this chapter, so thank you to each and every single one of you amazing people.

Also a special shout out to Monty Oum and the #MontyOumProject for giving me the will and belief in my OC's.

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next chapter, which will be up very soon.]


	2. Chapter 2: The Quiet Ones

**Beacon Academy. Beacon Tower.**

The four girls sat nervously in Ozpin's office, with Glynda Goodwitch pacing the room, her stern face was not comforting in the slightest to them. Marron and Noir gave each a worried look, they both knew that face of their teacher shortly after becoming students. Ecru was the most nervous, fidgeting in her seat with uncertainty, with Cyan recognising the too familiar tone of disappointment in Glynda's voice.

"Disrespectful to the academy's rules! Reckless destruction of city property! Dangerous, and I might add, poor choice of decisions!" The professor furiously added as she watched the four students sink into their seats. "You do realise that your stunt was caught on camera for the news, and has probably been seen across every kingdom by now!"

She waited to see what response they'd give, but they remained still in their seats. Glynda would've preferred to have got fellow teachers to help her, but given that it was live news she saw and Team CFVY just happened to be passing by when her scroll notified her, she was grateful of their willing assistance. Though she wondered why these first years before her had been so willing to endanger their lives and jeopardise their spots at the academy.

"You three I thought had improved your behaviour this last semester!" She tilted her head to Marron, Noir and Cyan.

Ecru raised her hand, about to point out that they stopped the Crimson Hand & about what they apprehended from their clutches. She was also about to mention that her team had helped her with the awkwardness she felt around others. That was till Glynda's eyes locked with hers, instantly unnerving her as Glynda spoke directly to her.

"As for you Ms. Modena, I am shocked! I had you as the voice of reason for your team. Now I see that their reckless choices and actions have rubbed off on you!"

"But Professor, we stopped those thugs from…" Noir tried speaking up, but Glynda's attention swooped down on her, cutting off Noir's conversation.

"Ms. Raven, that stunt you pulled nearly got civilians hurt and caused collateral damage across the entire district and highway!" Glynda's voice grew deeper and louder, empathising the seriousness of the damage caused.

"For the record, my bike got trashed stopping them from hurting civilians." Cyan pointed out, much to her team looking at her with multiple waves of their hands, trying to hint at her to stop talking.

"Ms. Chrome, the damage to your vehicle was your own doing by ignoring your terrain and warnings." Glynda remarked as Cyan sulked stubbornly in her seat, with the others dreading what Glynda was going to say next.

"By all accounts, your team should be disqualified from the tournament, at the very least!" Glynda's words were like knifes through hot butter, cutting through each of them.

"You can't do that Professor!" Cyan stood up from her seat, but quickly sat back down when Glynda's eyebrow raised at Cyan's words. "It's my fault and my fault alone that it happened, so don't exclude my team from the tournament. Please." Cyan pleaded with Glynda while the others wanted to speak, but Glynda's stern look kept them unsure what to say.

"Ms. Chrome, a qualifying team for the tournament needs four members each, so while I applaud your improved attitude to using teamwork, it does not change the fact that you'd all still be unable to participate." Glynda's words sank heavy for each of them, as they felt the excitement of the Vytal Festival slip away. "Besides, you four all willingly chose to disobey academy rules! So all four of you are to share the same punishment."

They sat there feeling low, frustrated with knowing that they were so close to actually having a shot in the festival's main event. They silently remained in their seats, unable to take a glance at one another, blaming themselves for causing the current state of things. Yet they soon looked up as someone entered the room, the foot steps approaching closer.

"However…" Ozpin's voice filled the room as did the rest of him as he stood by his desk, calmly weighing up the facts of the night's events. "…we both agree that under the circumstances, that you did in fact act upon the right course of action. You saw a threat, evaluated it and maintained the damage to as minimum as possible."

He sat down at his desk, the student's eyes followed him with eagerness to what Ozpin was deciding on.

"So you will be still participating in the tournament. And rest assured, you still have a position at this academy." Ozpin concluded, seeing the excitement return to their sullen faces, and relief in the form of weak smiles on each of their faces.

Marron turned to her friends. On one hand, she was extremely humbled that Ozpin had spared them from being excluded from the Vytal Festival. Yet as Ozpin's words sank in, she realised that they all could've in fact no longer be students, if the teachers had chosen that option.

"Though you will be given detention for sneaking out of school. That and its best you remember that while you are all becoming huntresses, you are still students and shouldn't engage in these activities. There's no shame in admitting that there's problems you can't solve on your own. My door is always open should you need it." Ozpin stated, ensuring that they knew the consequences of their unorthodox activities.

"Oh… Thank you Professors!" Marron jumped out of her seat, thanking them before realising she should've remained in her seat, smiling that her team got to still participate despite being found out.

"Ms. Blanc, as team leader, you need to understand that the choices you make, are not only your consequences but that of your teammates as well. So bare that in mind the next time you want to take matters into your own hands." Glynda painstakingly emphasised the position Marron was given.

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch, I will remember that." Marron gracefully accepted the stern words from her teachers.

"As for your detention, you'll be cleaning the desks of every classroom for the rest of the week before Monday." Ozpin instructed them.

"But don't classes start up again on Monday sir?" Noir asked, quickly realising that their detention, meant that their free time before the next semester, had just gone up in smoke.

"Indeed Ms. Raven, so please reflect upon this as a reminder for breaking the rules. Which need I remind you, that three of the four of you did research on last semester!" Glynda stated as she told Team MNCE to consider themselves lucky.

The girls, despite the dismay of punishment, gracefully accepted it and headed back to their dorm. Though Marron stayed behind, she wanted to explain why they took the case from the car and tried so hard to get it out of the Crimson Hand's fingers. She stumbled at first but Ozpin waited patiently, as did Glynda to the tale.

"So you suspect this group, the Crimson Hand? Has something to do with the recent incidents with the White Fang? And the Grimm situation at the docks last month?" Glynda asked as Marron nodded and explained that the group mentioned it'd tip the scales for them.

Glynda was about to ask how Marron and her team had found out about the information but Ozpin said it was enough and getting late for the girls. So Marron concluded the recount, secretly glad not to further incriminate her team in the various antics they had got themselves into. As Marron went to rejoin her team, Ozpin inspected the case and Glynda saw the concerned expression he gave and saw the case properly, knowing why it bothered him.

"Glynda, you know what this case means." Ozpin spoke once Marron was in the elevator.

"I do, I just can't imagine that he's still alive." Glynda saw the hexagon symbol with the 'M' engraved in it.

"We must keep an eye on this." Ozpin instructed as Glynda recalled the disastrous results she last saw the symbol as Mountain Glenn came to her mind. "If it is indeed his work, then we need to investigate it, subtly." Ozpin expanded further to her, taking a sip from his cup as he opened the case.

The case let out a green glow as he held the vial out, the very touch of it reminded him of being in the presence of the Grimm. Yet it was a name he thought of, the name of the industry the logo belonged to and the name of the man who made the liquid. 'Doctor Merlot.' Ozpin thought as he returned the vial and closed the case.

Meanwhile at their dorm, Marron was grateful that none of them had been excluded from the tournament, though Noir's expression left little to the imagination. She was clearly not happy with the punishment, nor was she herself or the others. Though she knew how lightly they all got off from serious punishment.

Noir tried counting how many desks there were, but every time she counted, she could only recall the state of the desks back in Professor Charcoal's classroom. She shuddered at the memory of all the gum in that single classroom, sulking at the notion of dozens more classrooms in possibly even worse states than that. Noir remained on her bed, head first in the pillow with dread of all the gunk they'd all have to clean up.

Cyan was just relieved her friends could still participate in the tournament. She knew how excited all of them were for it, especially after the awkwardness of their first semester. Especially after learning about her arms and past, as she sighed from exhaustion and fell back onto her bed.

Ecru wished her semblance had lasted longer, almost blaming herself for getting caught had Cyan not said it was her fault for dropping the case. Marron then tried to explain that the fault was hers, saying she should have explained about the plan. Though Noir joined the conversation, saying she should've caught the case with her semblance.

The four laughed together, slowly getting into their respective beds, trying their hardest to look on the positive side of their recent endeavour against their foes. The night was soon gone, the four barely felt like they slept as they dressed and headed to breakfast.

Along the way they saw Team RWBY pass by. Ruby Rose was clinging around Weiss Schnee, as the heiress was attempting to instruct her partner of the proper use of their free time before next week's return to classes. Only Ruby disappeared, leaving a trail of petals as she rushed over to her big sister Yang Xiao Long, who was chilling by the trees in the courtyard. The blonde haired teen was with Blake Belladonna who was peeking over the book she was reading, it being a novel called 'The Man With Two Souls.'

Team MNCE watched Weiss fail to get her team to budge, even as she continued instructing them on the advantages to training as a team than solo training. They watched as Ruby darted ahead, after persuading her team to listen to Weiss' advice, leaving a second trail of petals as they chased after her. Team MNCE however sulked into the seats of the cafeteria, even as their friends of Team COPR entered the room.

"What happened?" Patty pleaded as Team COPR joined Team MNCE at the table. "We waited ages for you and no-one answered their scrolls. We got worried." She fidgeted to know more once Ozpin's name was mentioned.

Marron explained it, though Team COPR didn't need to ask some of their questions, given how depressed they looked. Donald started thanking them but bringing up Silas and the bike sent alarm bells to Cyan, which resulted in Patty dragging Donald by the ear, scolding him about tact again. Olive hid the giggle but quickly looked to Noir who seemed in tears.

She was about to use her paper to ask, when Cardin Winchester had answered it for her. He strolled past, bragging about the fresh gum he had lodged in Professor Port's classroom. Apparently he had snuck in to cheat on his homework, which unanimously made them think about how much they wanted to put him in his place.

Noir laid her head on the table, sulking at the idea of gum that had been in Cardin's vile mouth, that they'd have to scrape off. Cyan leant to her to comfort her Faunus friend, whose tail even drooped on the table.

"I can always break his jaw you know. He wouldn't see it coming." Cyan gestured with her hands, slowly adjusting the white gloves to re-conceal her prosthetics.

Noir giggled and the slow giggle became a laugh with tears she wiped with a tissue, her tail fulfilling the motion since her arms clutched her ribs.

"There we go. One down and three to go." Cyan softly said, trying her hardest to think of how she'd explain any of it to Silas.

"Seriously, thanks for… you know… not grassing us up and all." Donald tried wording it, but it was Roland who took over with their friends listing their heads towards him.

"What he means is thanks, for not telling the teachers we were there too." Roland added as he held a comic book, which got strange looks since for once he didn't have his family's book of being a huntsman. "What? I like the story and the art." He added as they laughed, with Roland completely clueless as to what their laughter meant.

"Don't worry about it Donald." Marron soon answered him. "You were there for us. It's what friends do." She smiled back, feeling better as Cyan noted that half of them were back to normal.

"Look, we'll help ok." Patty offered, with her team nodding in agreement. "Obviously Ecru will have to work her powers or we'll be seen."

Marron thanked them but said they didn't have to, but Patty refused to take no as an answer, so that made three out of four of Team MNCE happy, with Cyan relieved that they weren't stuck doing all of the desks alone. Though she saw Ecru's face, thinking that Goodwitch was more intimidating for her friend since she never had a scorning like the others had. She wondered what she could do to cheer her friend up, when a screeching on the floor disrupted her concentration.

Olive had stood up quickly, her shoes causing the noise with her sudden motion. She pitched the idea of starting the clean up early as she shuffled out of her seat and towards the door. To say this wasn't odd would be an understatement, given that Olive rarely talked or loud enough for her friends to hear her. Yet it was the suddenness of her departure of the cafeteria that caught her friends attention.

So they hurried after her, soon placing the oddity of her change of demeanour as eagerness or shyness to help her friends. Only Roland saw the man who walked by the window, and sensed something troubled his partner. The gradual greying hair that was still a dull shade of green was what stood out, as the man in the messy suit paced outside.

Roland paused, telling himself he knew the man's face from somewhere. Though he hurried to catch up with his friends. At first he didn't see his teammates, only Team MNCE as Donald snuck up behind him, and made Roland jump out of his skin at something he couldn't see pat his head. Only then he heard his team leader speak, before Patty's voice scolded him, despite not seeing either of them.

Roland let out a groan, wondering why he fell for Donald's cheap scare, or forget Ecru's semblance made his team invisible to be perceived. Then Ecru placed a single finger on his shoulder, and like the rest of his team they blended with the colours of the classroom. Though as he heard the aches of Donald & Patty, he saw the immediate problem that no-one had thought of. That those using Ecru's 'The Art Of Shade' couldn't see one another.

Even though Team MNCE couldn't see him, Roland advised that they all do rooms in teams of two, that way they didn't keep crossing each other's path. So they split up, with each classroom done by one member of each team together. The odd student happened to pass by, taking a double look as it looked like the gum was being scraped off by the tools floating in the air. Only the members of Team COPR were quick to stop moving and pretend the room was empty and not making it appear like ghosts were in the room.

The clock seemed to fast forward, despite the extra help Team MNCE had, as the huntresses saw that it was afternoon already and only a few classrooms and lecture halls had been cleaned. They watched as their friends returned to their normal colours and they all grabbed drinks to take a break. Thankfully Glynda Goodwitch allowed them to go, being impressed with the rooms they had already done.

So the teams decided to chill in their own dorms, as they went their separate ways. Noir was still shaking and shivering with her hands after removing the gum, with her team reassuring her there was none on her tail. Roland however was concerned since Olive ran ahead of them to the dorm, and he couldn't shake the image of the man from earlier. Olive was nervous, avoiding the windows all day, as she peeked out the window and felt butterflies swarming inside her at what she saw.

Olive sat down on her chair, burying her face in her hands and leaning on her desk in her dorm. Patty was the first to enter the room & ask what was wrong. She couldn't make out Olive's words with Donald's whinging over the gum, so she placed a finger to her lips, to which he fell silent in an instant. Roland took a chair & sat next to her, awaiting to hear what she begrudgingly said.

"He's here, in the courtyard." She turned her gaze to the window, as her teammates precariously poked their eyes through, seeing the green haired man they saw around the school all day.

"Well, shit. Looks like we got a stalker." Donald concluded sternly, watching the man shift his gaze around the courtyard below.

"Ok, if we surround him, then we have the elite of surprise to…" Patty suggested until Olive jumped out of her seat, waving her hands as a 'no' frantically in the air.

"NO!" Olive shouted with panic. "He's not like that!" Olive spoke loudly, which surprised her team as she slumped back in her chair. "He's… my dad." Olive now lowered her head, returning to leaning on the desk.

"Then what are you doing in here? Go talk to your old man, he probably misses…" Donald didn't get to finish his sentence, with Patty elbowing him in his side while cursing his lack of tact.

"Surely you want to speak with him. It's not often anyone gets to see family, being away from home and all." Roland advised, thinking about his sisters and despite his irritation, he still missed his family at times.

Olive remained quiet, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, dreading to explain her circumstances. They waited patiently as she spoke to them, she sat up right from her leaning position.

"We… I mean I… I didn't leave on good terms… with our last conversation." She sulked as the others tried reassuring her it'd be fine.

"Families argue and disagree all the time, look at Roland's. No offence intended Roland." Donald added in a hurry, though Roland had to agree and instead of arguing back, decided to let him have one for once.

"I'm sure whatever you two said can be talked out with. I know they can grind at you, but deep down they're still family." Roland was trying his best to recite what his mother told him, since she was right post of the time.

"I mean it's not like you ran away from home and didn't tell him about Beacon." Patty joked with a half grin, with both Roland and Donald giving a nod in agreement.

Only Patty's attempt of a joke backfired when seeing Olive's face. She waited to shear her teammate make a joke back, or at least make a face for her comment. Then the smiles and grins retreated as they pondered on the why Olive didn't say anything back.

Olive remained in her seat, looking Patty directly into her eyes. What the team saw were Olive's green eyes, filled with regret and unease as she quickly lowered her head. The unearthly quietness only confirmed what had been joked about as the truth, and that silence had only revealed to her teammates exactly how she felt, with the weight of the revelation finally sinking in.

"Oh my god, you really ran away from home." Patty's words were filled with shock despite being softly spoken, with the tension filled silence returning like it hadn't been interrupted by her voice.

Only Donald burst out laughing, clutching his sides, while Patty and Roland stared at him. They looked at one another, wondering what had been so funny, while simultaneously glaring at him for laughing. Olive was the most bamboozled by Donald's laughter, as he could no longer stand up and instead sat on the end of his bed.

"It's true what they say, its always the quiet ones." Donald chuckled, attempting to hold in his laugh though it didn't appear that way to his friends.

He soon ceased when the icy double stare caught the corner of his eyes. Donald pleaded that he meant no harm, which only resulted in his teammates rolling their eyes. They were by now used to his ironically bad timed choice of words and his kind heart, to know he was being sincere despite how negative or rude it sounded.

"I'm just surprised it would be you, cos… well… it's so… unlike you." Patty struggled to find the words that would explain to Olive her attempt of cheering up her friend.

She still gave the cold look to Donald, as she went to the window, seeing the man now surveying the windows. 'Only a matter of time till he finds us.' She thought, still perplexed at Olive actually leaving her home with no mention of where she was going. She wondered what had happened to override Olive's nervous nature so much to cause her to attend Beacon.

"If you don't want to talk to him alone, we're here for you." Roland pointed out, giving a weak curl of a smile, as he pondered on why Olive chose to leave her father.

Olive smiled back, giving him a quick hug, that Roland hadn't expected, tilting back before giving her a return hug. She sheepishly stood up and looked out the window, dropping a piece of paper. She was about to not let it go, till she turned to see her friends' supportive faces.

She inhaled a deep breath, looked out the window and watched as the paper slowly drifted down to her father. It danced and drifted in the gentle breeze till he looked up to catch it. Olive exhaled before her face became a shade of blue, wondering what he was going to say or react upon confronting him.

Olive then asked her team for a favour, as she decided to ask for her other friends to help her. She was nervous, not only to ask her friends to help her but to face her father. Olive made her way down the hallway to Team MNCE's dorm, thinking what her father was going to say with her being a huntress, like her mother, as she knocked on their door.


End file.
